KU settles suit alleging med center worker was fired for reporting age discrimination
The University of Kansas has agreed to pay $144,000 and revise its age discrimination policies after reaching a settlement in an age discrimination lawsuit.
A federal lawsuit filed in September by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged a University of Kansas employee was fired in retaliation for reporting age discriminatory hiring practices at the KU Medical Center.
“We are glad the university recognizes that employers cannot fire, demote, refuse to hire or take other negative actions against employees and job applicants who raise good-faith concerns about what they think is unlawful age discrimination.” EEOC’s St. Louis District director L. Jack Vasquez said in a statement after the settlement was reached in March.
In 2014, the associate vice chancellor for information resources at the medical center told managers and directors in his department to primarily hire millennial and young people for open positions, according to the lawsuit.
Later that year, an information resources hiring manager told Jeffrey Thomas, an assistant associate director in the department, that she was not allowed to hire a 60-year-old for a junior application developer position because of her age.
Thomas reported those statements to the higher administration, court records show. He again reported his concerns of age discrimination to human resources the following month.
He was later notified that a department reorganization would change who he reported to. The next week, however, the associate vice chancellor for information resources told Thomas his position was being eliminated for reasons not related to job performance, according to the suit.
In addition to monetary relief for Thomas, the settlement agreement requires the university to adopt and maintain polices specifically prohibiting age discrimination and to protect those who report it from retaliation.
“Workers who oppose discriminatory employment policies, decisions, and actions on the job should be praised, not punished,” Andrea G. Baran, the EEOC’s regional attorney in St. Louis, said in a statement. “KU and KUMC have taken many positive steps to attempt to prevent age discrimination and retaliation against employees and job applicants who have the courage to report or oppose practices or decisions which they believe to be discriminatory, including implementing comprehensive non-discrimination policies, procedures and training.”
Kay Hawes, a spokeswoman for the University of Kansas Medical Center, reiterated the settlement’s wording, stating that KUMC continues to deny the allegations.
“KU Medical Center is committed to the inclusion of all members of our campus community, and we take very seriously our responsibility to prevent and eliminate discrimination,” Hawes said in a statement. “The university also strives to foster an environment where our employees feel comfortable and are protected when speaking up and reporting complaints of discrimination.”
The Star’s Katie Bernard contributed reporting.
